It was just before 9 a.m. on a Friday, and already there was a small line forming outside of Wonderland Bins & Liquidation in Twinsburg.
It pays to show up early, said Amber Powers, 18, who came with friend Anna Ardale, 17. Both live in Twinsburg.
"I came here at 1 p.m. one day, it was already completely demolished in there," said Powers. But she said it's worth coming early to wait. "They sell really nice stuff."
"We've gotten so much stuff here," Ardale added.
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Wonderland Bins, on Ravenna Road, had its grand opening May 20 and has already attracted a crowd of regular shoppers, such as Annette Upton of Twinsburg.
"I've possibly been here 10 times," Upton said. "I like the $5 and $2 days. It's looking for treasure."
Connie Ellis of Solon, who came to Wonderland Bins as a first-time shopper, said she "likes to go to all the thrift places," including ones out of state such as Chicago.
Bin stores offer a different type of shopping
Dominic Valenti, 36, of Euclid, the owner of Wonderland Bins,said that people looking for a deal can take advantage of bin stores, which purchase liquidation and surplus items from other places and resell them.
"We purchase from major retailers, both big box and online," Valenti said.
The store is closed on Thursdays so the staff can unload the delivered palettes and fill the bins. When the store opens Friday, items can be purchased for $10. The bins are restocked for Saturday, where items can be bought for $8.
"After that, our prices drop and we don't refill the bins," Valenti said. "Wednesday is our dollar day, so we can clean out. Then we close Thursday and do it again."
The concept is similar to the Krazy Bins store that opened last August in Akon's Wallhaven neighborhood.
Valenti said he never knows what to expect when new shipments come in for restocking the bins.
"When I unload the trucks, I have no idea what is in them," he said. "It's a mystery to me."
Since the businessopenwsg, Valenti said he has made some tweaks. For example, he added two hours in the evening on most days to accommodate more shoppers.
How Wonderland Bins came to be
Running a business is not new to Valenti: He had previously operated run an online T-shirt and sticker company.
"It wasn't that profitable," Valenti admitted. "So I started to focus on a 9-to-5 career."
Valenti worked for an insurance company for 10 years before trying again at running his own business.
"I started the planning process in April 2021," he said. "I purchased a palatte of stuff and sold it out of my garage."
This enterprise was far more successful, he said. "I made some connections and learned from other people."
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The success of the business led Valenti to movehis business to a storefront in a space once occupied by a gym. He got the keys Jan. 1 and started working to rehabilitate what would become his bin store.
There was a lot of work to do, Valenti said. The space had been unoccupied for nearly two years.Its close proximity to a Goodwill store, a Dollar General and the public schools wasa big selling point, Valenti said. In addition, the space has a loading dock, back warehouses and plentiful parking.
For several months, Valenti said he repainted, cleaned and renovated the space. He even constructed and painted the bins for the store.
The name of the store came from a line of thought while he was driving to the Chicago area to meet up with one of his mentors and a fellow bin store owner.
"I was thinking about the store, and the thoughts that many people have: 'I wonder what I will find?'" Valenti said.
Valenti said he initially was thinking of going with a Mad Hatter mascot, but then one day he came across an image of a Cheshire cat. He purchased the rights to use the image.
The Wonderland theme is incorporated throughout the store, including in the various games and discounts Wonderland Bins offers, such as a Queen of Hearts game, where shoppers have opportunities to select cards in hopes of getting a discount or even a prize. There's also a section called Looking Glass Liquidations, where larger items that wouldn't fit in the bins can be found.
Wonderland Bins & Liquidation is at 10735 Ravenna Road, No. 300. It is open most days from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on Wednesdays, when the store closes at 6 p.m., and on Thursdays, when the store is closed. For details, call 330-998-6090 or visit https://www.wonderlandbins.com online.
Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com
